Man guilty of squeezing 13 into a Volvo

A teacher has been found guilty of dangerous driving after squeezing 13 people into his Volvo car.

By Rupert Neate

3:29PM BST 24 Jun 2008

A court heard Abraham Gniwosch, 31, packed two women with babies on their laps, seven other children and a man into his Volvo S70, which is only meant to carry five people. None of the 12 passengers were wearing seatbelts.

Pc Roger Brazel, who stopped Gniwosch's red saloon last summer, told Llandudno magistrates court the car "was severely overloaded with children standing up in the rear".

The court heard two women and six children were packed into the back, while a 28-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy shared the front passenger seat.

Gniwosch denied his actions were dangerous saying he had been driving sensibly and at no more than 20 mph.

"I've been silly in what I've done, but not dangerous," he said. "I'm not a quick driver, I'm a slow driver."

The incident happened when Gniwosch, from north London, and his extended family, were on holiday in Llandudno last summer.

He told magistrates he was forced to put the children in the car as they were upset by a nearby dog. "The kids were screaming 'let's get in the car,'" he said.

He was given a 12 month driving ban and ordered to pay over £900 in a fine and costs.

Chair of the bench, Sandra Walker told Gniwosch: "Driving a car made for only five passengers while carrying twelve is clearly a dangerous situation." She said this would be "obvious to a competent and careful driver".